Courage is an apostolate of the Roman Catholic Church that provides spiritual support for men and women with same-sex attractions who desire to develop lives of interior chastity in union with Christ.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Lenten Meditations

This coming Holy Week, I'm gonna be posting a series of Lenten meditations everyday that I picked from the book The Golden Key to Heaven. These reflections are the writings of Saint Anthony Mary Claret based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius de Loyola.

St. Anthony Mary Claret has been considered the greatest writer in the Spanish language of the 19th century and was also considered the most influential man in Spain for, among other reasons, being confessor to the Queen of Spain. He preached an estimated 25,000 sermons, wrote 144 books, founded three religious orders, and while Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba, confirmed over 300,000 souls and validated more than 9000 marriages. In his lifetime, he worked numerous miracles. He had the gift of prophecy and the discernment of hearts.

It is obvious that the main theme is about love or charity. In these meditations, St. Anthony Mary Claret tells us how and why we should observe the two greatest commandments in the Scripture - namely that of love of God and love of neighbor. He attempts to explain in great detail the reasons why we are bound to practice charity not just towards our friends, but also towards our enemies as exemplified by Christ dying on the Cross.

Courage Community

Vision

A community of persons with same sex concerns, empowered in facing their condition, accepted and respected by society.

Mission

The group is inspired by Christ to live chaste lives in accordance with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Five Goals of Courage

1.CHASTITY– Live chaste lives in accordance with the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality.

2.PRAYER AND DEDICATION – Dedicate one’s life to Christ through service to others, spiritual reading, prayer, meditation, individual spiritual direction, frequent attendance at Mass, and the frequent reception of the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist.

3.FELLOWSHIP – Foster a spirit of fellowship in which all may share thoughts and experiences, and so ensure that no one will have to face the problems of homosexuality alone.

4.SUPPORT – Be mindful of the truth that chaste friendships are not only possible but necessary in a chaste Christian life, and in doing so provide encouragement to one another in forming and sustaining them.

5.GOOD EXAMPLE – Live lives that may serve as good examples to others.

Portraits of Courage

For the first time, the members of Courage step from the shadows of anonymity to face the camera. In thisPortraits of Couragepresentation which includes Part I - Into The Light (3-part videos)and Part II - Cry of the Faithful (3-part videos), they reveal their struggles with homosexuality and the amazing grace of chastity within Courage.

Understand the Catholic Church's controversial teaching on homosexuality from the first person singular. With unsparing honesty, the men and women of Courage bring together the truth and compassion of the Church's timeless wisdom.